Songtsam Lodge Shangri-La

The Songtsam Shangri-la is a luxury hotel situated right next to the Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan province.

What to experience ?

The Songtsam Lobby features authentic Tibetan decorations and design in a luxurious setting

The lodge is housed in a traditional Tibetan dwelling within this typical, self-sufficient Tibetan farming village where the founder of Songtsam, Baima Dorjie, spent his childhood.

The hotel is designed and decorated with unique elegance, using handpicked genuine Tibetan style furniture, carpets and art collections, Songtsam is more than a hotel, it is a showcase for Tibetan art, style and culture. Each room contains handpicked furniture and decorations, some antique and others made locally. Select rooms provide stunning panoramic views of the grasslands and mountains that fill the landscape.

The hotel also possesses a host of features that enhance the visitors’ stay, including an organic Tibetan restaurant that uses produce from the surrounding area, a private courtyard with a stunning garden and pond, a rooftop with spectacular views for private parties and a conference room for business meetings if requested.

Look for new Songtsam Lodges opening up in Benzilan, Meili and Tacheng in Yunnan in 2011

How does it help ?

The Songtsam Hotel was built with the clear mission of being part of the local community, not merely a hotel located within it.

To contribute to the host community, the Songtsam Hotel built roads, water and electrical system for the village, improving access for local residents as well as tourists. They design activities to get the local families involved including home visiting, dinner parties and cultural events. These activities not only bring income but also rebuild the confidence in traditional cultural among the villagers; they pay the best possible rates to encourage these activities and avoid any form of exploitation.

To be part of the village, they encourage their guests to visit local families. Their guests love to go biking and walking freely and they take them to real village events in the most natural way: pig butchering meals, weddings and local celebrations. This also encourages local people to appreciate and protect a living culture and embrace guests from far overseas.

To support village children in education and school infrastructure, they have a systematic plan providing financial aid to local children from elementary school through college

From sausages to honey, fruit and vegetables, the hotel buys local products whenever possible. Almost all of the staff is recruited from villages in the region, offering them job opportunities, training and a competitive wages.

Most importantly, the combination of the family atmosphere, human management style and tangible benefits has attracted most of their employees; many of whom have worked there for years which is very rare in the region.

Location

2 Comments

The site is an E-guide as a guide book, we don’t handle any query from travellers but provide them with the information they can use. So please contact directly the operator you have all contact details on the post.
Best regards

audrey osofsky
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love the idea of being part of the local community, would like to find out more about staying with you , say 10/15 -10/17, what kind of program would be available on those days, say hiking or family visit, and would there be any discount or special offer on hotel rate? I need a room for one or two persons. Thanks.